Southampton may be powerless to prevent Schneiderlin exit this summer, claims Crook

Southampton may be powerless to prevent Morgan Schneiderlin from leaving the club this summer, according to Alex Crook, despite Saints chairman Ralph Krueger telling talkSPORT the midfielder was not for sale.

Moments after the interview aired Schneiderlin took to Twitter to vent his frustration, saying: “Six years of an amazing journey at Southampton DESTROYED in one hour!!!”

But talkSPORT’s south east football expert, Crook, explains that his social media outburst was in fact a reaction to an earlier meeting he had with the club.

“I don’t think it’s a reaction to the comments of Ralph Krueger on talkSPORT, it’s more in reaction to a meeting Morgan Schneiderlin and his representatives held with a group of senior Southampton officials, a group which included Krueger," he told Kick Off.

“It was to discuss his future at the club and I understand Morgan made it clear he wanted to become the latest player to leave Southampton, but the club then made it clear to Schneiderlin that he would not be sold.

“He is a very important first team player and they simply can’t afford to lose any more of those, he wasn’t happy with the outcome and he took to social media to vent his feelings.”

He added: “Schneiderlin has seen many of the star players get their dream moves away. He has opportunity to go to Tottenham, though I wouldn’t rule out a move to Arsenal at this stage either, they’re still interested.

“He feels he’s taken the club as far as he can. He’s been at Saints since he was a teenager and helped them rise through the divisions and he believes, like Lallana, Lambert and Lovren before him, he should be allowed to move on and join a bigger football club.

“Schneiderlin’s next move is important for his future at the club. He isn’t a trouble maker, he’d love to leave the club - as Rickie Lambert did - and still be idolised by the fans, he wouldn’t want to leave Southampton on bad terms, but it’s very hard to see that happening now.

“It’s a difficult scenario for Southampton, they can’t keep selling their best players and they have to be seen to be trying to keep them, but we live in an era of player-power and if Morgan Schneiderlin really wants to get his move away, I think in the end the club will be powerless to keep him.”